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Vintage Boat Changing Role

PORT HADLOCK — A vintage boat that was the vessel for the first solo transatlantic crossing by a woman now is being used to teach women who want to enter the maritime trades.

The Felicity Ann is the 23-foot sloop in which the late Ann Davison sailed alone across the Atlantic Ocean at the age of 39, in a journey completed in 1953 and hailed as the first voyage of its kind.

Now, 60 years later, the boat, somewhat the worse for wear, is situated under a temporary cover up the hill from the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, and has become an instructional platform for local women who have volunteered to effect its reconstruction.

“There is the perception that there aren't enough women in the maritime trades and there should be more programs that are geared toward them,” said Pete Leenhouts, the school's executive director.